Figure 1.

Differences between proportional and simple ordinal rank in two differently sized hierarchies. Ranks with darker shading have a competitive advantage over those with lighter shading. The fifth-ranking individual in each hierarchy is demarcated with a white border. Under a simple ordinal rank framework, being ranked fifth confers the same competitive advantages independent of hierarchy size. Under a proportional rank framework, being ranked fifth is more advantageous in a hierarchy of 9 (proportional rank = 0.5) than in a hierarchy of 5 (proportional rank = 0). Adapted from Levy et al. [33].